SADC MPS URGED TO BOLSTER HUMAN RIGHTS
PEUBO Investments, a micro-lending company of Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU), held a shareholder meeting this Tuesday to give an update on its performance.
PARLIAMENTS in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been urged to establish parliamentary human rights structures that advance oversight and accountability for purposes of promotion of citizens’ rights and dignity.
Addressing a landmark webinar that brought together parliamentarians, civil society representatives and other stakeholders from across the region on December 7th, the Chairperson of the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Standing Committee on Democratisation, Governance and Human Rights (DGHR), Jeronima Agostinho (from Mozambique), said parliaments were critical to promotion and protection of human rights.
The Standing Committee on DGHR jointly hosted the engagement with the Austrian Development Agency, Germany’s GIZ and Amnesty International. The webinar - held ahead of International Human Rights Day (December 10th) - was themed “Enhancing the Role of Parliament in the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the SADC Regional Integration through Engagement with National and Regional Human Rights State and Non-state Actors”.
The dialogue was structured within the broader context of the Forum’s objective to deconstruct regressive narratives on human rights, and to improve the adversarial relationship between state actors and civic society.
In her opening address, delivered by SADC PF Deputy Chair, Darren Bergman (from South Africa), Agostinho said, “Parliamentary mandate as a whole - whether this relates to legislating, adopting the budget, or overseeing the executive branch and representing citizens - covers the entire spectrum of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights, and thus has an immediate impact on the enjoyment of human rights by the people.
“Respect for human rights is not only a fundamental value in itself but also essential to developing stable, democratic and prosperous societies that are capable of living together in peace.
“National parliaments represent the basis for good governance grounded on democratic institutions responsive to the needs of the people.
“As the legitimate representatives of the people, Parliaments have an important role in strengthening democratisation, governance, furthering human development and the welfare of all.”
LEGISLATION
She continued: “Indeed, through approval of ratification of human rights treaties, adopting enabling legislation, ensuring that sufficient funds are provided for human rights implementation, and exercising their oversight function, parliaments can promote and guarantee the enjoyment of human rights by all.
“Further, parliaments can strengthen their role in promoting and protecting human rights by establishing parliamentary human rights bodies and following up on recommendations formulated by United Nations treaty-monitoring bodies and special rapporteurs, and by other international or regional monitoring bodies.”
Agostinho underscored the importance of collaboration between governments, parliaments and non-state actors for protection and promotion of human rights.
“Through effective partnerships and engagement with other state and non-state actors, to strengthen how they give full effect to the specific powers they have, parliaments can ensure that human rights become a reality for everyone.
“It is only through collaboration and partnerships that we can effectively tackle the trend of regression and antagonism that has tended to characterise the human rights narrative in our region.
“I challenge all of us to embrace a shared vision and recommit to work together effectively towards ensuring that human rights become a reality for all in our region in 2021 and beyond.”
Earlier, SADC PF Secretary General, Ms Boemo Sekgoma, opened the webinar by outlining how the Forum, individually and with its partners, had been spearheading human rights advocacy in the region through engagement and drafting of model laws.
Among the model laws that SADC PF has, with a measure of success, developed and been urging member states to domesticate are those dealing with child marriages, HIV and AIDS, elections and eradication of child marriages, among others.
A major breakthrough was sponsoring the landmark Motion Condemning Attacks, Abductions, Killings and Discrimination Against People with Albinism in the SADC Region, which was unanimously adopted by the 45th Plenary Assembly Session in July 2019.
To this end, Ms Sekgoma said Members of Parliament should be at the forefront of such advocacy for human rights as per their constitutional mandate both individually and as key components of vital institutions.
The Standing Committee on DGHR has been advancing the human rights agenda across Southern Africa, with the present thrust informed by SADC
PF’S Strategic Plan for 2019 to 2023.
In addition to framing the human rights agenda within universally accepted norms, the Standing Committee also has a deliberate thrust of contextualising human rights within the framework of human dignity as informed by the context of Ubuntu.
The human rights of SADC citizens are central to SADC PF’S activities under the specific thematic areas of democracy and governance, HIV and AIDS, trade, natural resource governance and food security and agriculture.
This is also captured in Article 6(c) of the Forum’s constitution, which says among the organisation’s objectives is to “to promote the principles of human rights, democracy, peace and security, regional integration, human and social development, economic governance and gender equality through collective responsibility within the SADC Region”.
The SADC PF itself is a creation of the SADC Treaty and was established in 1997 as an autonomous institution of the bloc. Member parliaments are Angola, Botswana, DRC, eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The company is 50 percent owned by BOSETU Funeral Scheme (BOFUS), with the other 50 percent belonging to BOSETU. PEUBO was formed as part of BOSETU’S social and economic benefit initiatives aimed at assisting teachers address their financial challenges. Speaking at the event held at Phakalane Golf Estate, PEUBO Investments Chairperson, Samuel Aboneng stressed the company, “Has played and continues to play that role well, even during these economic hardships.” Aboneng revealed the micro-lender experienced a drop in loan uptakes this year. He explained this was primarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has caused chaos across the globe. “This downward trend was partly due to the reduction in interest rates,” explained Aboneng, stressing the reduction made the cost of borrowing cheaper, ultimately making loans easily accessible. He also pointed out that to date the company has paid all its tax liabilities and is fully compliant with tax regulations. The Chairperson further announced PEUBO has developed a dividend policy, explaining it would have been difficult to pay dividends in the absence of such a policy. “When we look inside this policy, we have realised that it indicates the circumstances under which the shareholders may or may not expect the dividends.” Like the majority of businesses worldwide, Aboneng admitted PEUBO has been negatively affected by Covid-19. “Loan uptakes during the last quarter of the year have been very low. This has led to low disinvestments and at the same time creating a strong cash flow position,” he concluded. For his part, BOSETU Executive Secretary, Acting, Ned Phatshwane explained that PEUBO loans are categorized, with the trends indicating members are more interested in higher loan amounts, with fewer uptakes for lower amounts. BOSETU’S impressed Secretary-general (SG), Tobokani Rari, marveled at how PEUBO has grown, and was quick to commend Phatshwane for the ‘magnificent growth’ of the company. Giving background on the formation of the micro-lending business, Rari explained the idea of BOSETU providing
loans was first brought about by the then Organising Secretary General, Ompatile Modise. He said that although they did not have funds back then, Modise was persistent that the union should provide short-term loans to its members. “Soon after, we undertook a trip to Serowe, and Modise stood up during the meeting and said, ‘we have started giving out loans, and on Monday those of you who have difficulties in their finances should come to the office as we have started giving loans to members’,” Rari reminisced. The SG said he told Modise that if the Union was to be seen to be responsive to members, this was not the right way to do it. Thus the idea of starting a formal loan scheme came into being. “Immediately after that, BOSETU started giving out small loans to members. And I am happy that this company grew from nothing to what it is today,” concluded Rari. When giving closing remarks, BOSETU President, Winston Radikolo stressed it is a positive development that PEUBO has declared dividends. Radikolo challenged PEUBO to be more creative and come up with other ways to diversify the company income. “The board should be challenged to say, ‘we are now moving from product development and are now growing into diversification’. Sit down as the board and try to be more creative,” urged President Radikolo.